XNA Launches

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If you build it, they will come.

By Hilary Goldstein

The revolution will be televised on Xbox Live. Today, Microsoft launched XNA Game Studio Express and the XNA Creators Club. Anyone with some C# programming skill can now create games for PC and Xbox 360 for free. That's right, the XNA toolset is free and now available at www.msdn.com/XNA.

However, the basic XNA suite does not provide much in terms of game assets. For a leg up there, you can join the XNA Creators Club. Available for purchase on the Xbox Live Marketplace, the XNA Creators Club provides access to thousands of game assets from Microsoft and other third-party companies. Club members also can check out start kits, samples and get technical support. XNA Creators Club costs $49 for a four-month subscription or $99 for one year.

"The XNA Creators Club is really the first of its kind -- an opportunity to join a community of other developers who are empowered to bring their game ideas to life on a next-generation console system," saidgeneral manager of the Game Developer Group at Microsoft, Chris Satchell. "When it comes to encouraging development on XNA Game Studio Express and through the XNA Creators Club, the limits are truly endless. What users will see today is just the beginning of the plans we have to revolutionize game development one creative game idea at a time."

"Xbox Live Arcade has opened up a wealth of new publishing opportunities for established and independent developers alike, so it made perfect sense to also extend this privilege to hobbyists and amateur programmers," said Greg Canessa, group manager of Xbox Live Arcade at Microsoft. "We have a tremendous opportunity to shine the spotlight on up-and-coming talent through the 'Dream-Build-Play' contest, and we can't wait to share their creativity with our gaming community around the world."

To celebrate the launch of XNA, Microsoft announced the "Dream-Build-Play" contest. Those who create games with XNA will have the chance to showcase them for the community, with the winner having his or her game published on Xbox Live Arcade. For more details direct your browser to www.dreambuildplay.com.